Aircraft engines used to propel aircraft through certain routes often experience significant fouling due to heavy environmental particulate matter intake during flight, idling, take-off, and landing. Environmental fouling degrades performance in turbine components of such aircraft engines. For example, one known mechanism for fouling is the increased roughness of turbine components caused by mineral dust ingestion. Specifically, this increased roughness can result from the formation of micropits caused by particle impact. Subsequently, mineral dust particles accumulate in these pits and block cooling passages by forming layers of fouling material therein. High temperatures on surfaces in downstream stages of the turbine result in thermal alteration and solid-state mineral reactions of the accumulated mineral dust particles, which forms a calcia, magnesia, alumina, silica (CMAS) based reaction product. Consequently, water wash treatments, which are frequently used to clean the turbine components, often are not successful in removing the accumulated mineral dust and its secondary reaction products.
This problem can become magnified in the internal portions of a turbine component. Although the internal portions of the components may be susceptible to fouling, they can be virtually impossible to reach while assembled or installed on-wing. Water wash treatments performed on wing are often unable to reach these portions at all. In order to provide cleaning to a turbine component's internal portions, most if not all of the engine must be first disassembled. Moreover, the individual component must be removed from its adjacent elements. The result is often time-consuming and expensive.
Accordingly, further improvements to cleaning methods and systems are desired. Methods and systems that provide cleaning to an internal portion of a turbine component without requiring significant disassembly would be useful.